Combined backing and reenforcing means for plaster and the like



April 21 .1931. c. c. OVERMIRE COMBINED BACKING AND REENFORCI NG MEANS FOR PLASTER AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 31, 1928 INVENTOR. CHARLES C. UVERIjIRE ATTORNEY Patented A r. 21, 1931 UNITED srA ras PATENT. OFFICE CHARLES C. OVERMIBE, OI BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA COMBINED BACKING AND BEENI'ORGING MEANS FOR PLASTEB AND THE LIKE Application filed l'an uary 31, 1928. Serial No. 250,825.

The invention relates to a means of the character described providing in unitary as sociation a sheet of backing material for plaster or the like and reenforcing means for said plaster.

' An object of the invention is to provide a structure embodying the means of my invention in which, when it is disposed against a supporting member, the reenforcement portion thereof is arranged to be held spaced from said supporting member by means integrally included in the structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure of the character described in which the planes of the reenforcement and of the backing 'member are transversely separated by a predetermined distance at all times.

A further object of the invention is to provide a structure of the character described in which the means for maintaining the spacing of the reenforcement portion from a supporting surface is also utilized in maintaining the before mentioned spaced relation. of the backing and reenforcement portions of the struc- 2 ture.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawings and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawings,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the means of my invention in operative use in a wall structure.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan section through a wall having the means of the invention mounted thereon.

Figures 3 and 4 are views of a different embodiment of the device. said views corresponding respectively to the views of Fig ures 1 and 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective.

view of a modification of the embodiment 59 shown in figures I and 2.

" As particularly illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 5, the means of the invention coinprises a unitary structure having incorporated therewith an outer layer of metallic screening 6 and an inner layer of backing 7. The screening 6, it will be noted, may be of any suitable type for use as an embedded reenforcement for a slab of cast material such as plaster, and as herewith particularly shown is formed with sets of parallel metallic go strands 8 transversely disposed across each other and with the strands joined at their intersections by welding. The backing 7 may be formed of any suitable moisture-proof material, and may be either metallic or nona metallic, as is desirable.

In order to provide for the embedding of the screening 6 in a cast slab 8, the screening must be held in properly spaced relation from a surface defining a face of the slab. 7 In the present instance, the device is shown applied to studding 9 of a wall for receiving and supporting plaster 11 thereon, with the backing 7 disposed generally in the front plane of the studding'and' the screenin 6 35 disposed forwardlyof said plane. Pre erably, the spacing or furring means for the screening is incorporated with the structure whereby the use of special and additional members for effecting suchspacing is avoid- 39 ed. Accordingly, and as shown, portions 12 of certain strands of the screening are transversely off-set out of the general plane of the screening whereby, when the structure is disposed against the studding 9, they may fuho- 5 tion as a furring means for the balance of the netting.

Since the screening thus provided with furring offsets would usually be shaped from plane sheets thereof, and since it is desirable that no foreshortening of the screenin occur when the offsets are formed, the 0 sets 12 are preferably formed by so stretching the strand portions thereat as to prevent said foreshortening of the stretched strands. In the present instance in which a rectangular mesh 13 is formed, the offsets 12 are provided generally centrally in a strand portion 14 defining a mesh side-in this manner, the stretching of but one strand portlon 14 is involved in forming each offset. Furthermore, the formation of the Offsets 12 in nonadjacent strands of only one set thereof has been found desirable, whereby at least one of the 0 posed strand portions of a mesh 1s straig t and unweakened and the mechanical reduction of the offsets in the screening is acilitatad. The spacing of the offsets 12 is Ereferably such that certain rows thereof dened eitherlaterally or longitudinally of their strands are spaced apart the same distance as are the studding 9, so that said rows of ofisets may simultaneously lie opposite different studding.

The backing 7, it will now be noted, is preferably arranged to be mounted on the offsets 12 whereby it may be applied with the screening and be disposed in the aforesaid plane of the studding. This relation of the acking to the screening primaril serves to limit the inward movement of the plaster as it is placed on the screening and thereafter provides a water roof lining between the resulting slab an the supporting structure therefor. As herewith particularly disclosed, the backing is provided with perforations 16 which are arranged when the backing is disposed against the offsets 12 to lie at said offsets. As shown in the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, members 17 are secured to the ofisets 12 at the backing openings 16 rearwardly of the backing in any suitable manner, as by welding. The members 17 comprise thin metallic rods or bars welded to the offsets and preferably connect between adjacent offsets. As herewith particularly shown, the members 17 parallel the screening strands of the set thereof which lacks offsets whereby, in the present instance, some of them will lie longitudinally along the studding. Preferably, all of the offsets are connected by the members 17, whereby the backing may be held to the screening against transverse separation therefrom, the offsets being spaced accordingly.

An alternative method of securing the backing to the offsets 12 is disclosed in Figure 5 in which members 18 are secured to the offsets 12 where they register with the back ing perforations 16. The members 18 are of any suitable shape to over-span the backing perforations lfi and are secured to the offsets by welding whereby the backing is independently' secured at each offset against removal from the offsets.

The backing 7 is preferably arranged to be fixedly heldin proper spaced relation to the screeningfi whereby its disposal against the members 17 or 18, as the case may be, may be assured without necessitating any attention to the matter on the part of a mechanic during the application of the combined backing and reinforcing structure now described. As shown, the offsets 12 are themselves arranged to provide the desired fixing of the backing against movement toward the screenin such being accomplished by forming the 0 sets to have the point 'portions thereof comprise straight strand sections of a length to over-span the backing perforations 16. In this manner, the operative installation of the structure involves merely the securing thereof to a supporting means, as the studding 9, by the use of a simple securing rmeans such as nails 19, since the various parts of the structure are fixedly related.

In forming the structure of the embodiment of Figures 3 and 4, it is noted that welded screening 31 is utilized and that members 32 which provide a retaining means for the backing 33 themselves provide the offsets 34 from the screening 31. The offsets 34 are generally V-sha-ped and the backing is provided with slots 36 whereby the offsets 34 may extend loosely therethrough to engage and be welded to strands of the screening 31 which is left plane. In this case the structure is arranged to be fastened to a supporting means through securing the members 32 thereto. The chief advantage of this method of providing a structure of'tlie character described lies in the manufacturing aspects thereof, it being obvious that forming the offsets with members 32 singly would generally be a simpler method of providing the necessary offsets for the reenforcing portion of the structure than would be the forming of such offsets in a sheet of screening.

Considering the structures disclosed in a general way, it will now be noted that such structures essentially comprise parallel layers of metallic members, with one of the layers defining a base for the structure, the other layer providing reenforcing members, either of the layers providing spacing members fixed to the other layer for securing the layers in fixed spaced relation, and a backing layer non-removably disposed between the strand layers.

It will now be particularly noted that while the features of the present structure are shown applied to screening having the strands thereof welded together and not interwoven, the novel features disclosed might as readily be applied to screening of other types, whether woven or unwoven, and which is suitable for the uses of the present structure. The use of such other screenings for forming part of the structure is therefore held to be entirely within the scope of the present invention, particular attention being called to the possibility of the use of the socalled chicken-wire netting of hexagonal mesh to provide the reenforcing portion of the structure.

I claim:

1. In a combined plaster reenforcing and backing means, a sheet of backing having perforations therein, layers of wire on the opposite sides of the sheet, one of said layers being formed with integral furring ofisets lying substantially exclusively on one side of said sheet and secured to the other layer at the perforations.

2. In a combined plaster reenforcing and backing means, a sheet of backing having perforations therein, a layer of wire on one side of the sheet having inte ral offsets arranged at the perforations and ent out of the plane of the layer to retain the latter in spaced relation to the sheet, said layer including said offsets lying substntially exclusively on said side of the sheet, and a layer of wire lying substantially exclusively on the other side of said sheetintegrally united to said offsets.

In testimon whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at akland, California, this 28th day of J anuar 1928. a

ARLES O. OVERMIRE. 

